I don’t hate vamps, not like mostof my kind do, but I don’t go out of my way to spend time with themeither. Corbin had been an exception—only because I had felt morecomfortable dealing with him than the local pack when it came totaking a loan for my business. If I had known how he would make mepay it back, I would have run a fucking mile from that undeadbastard.
“Fuck,” Imuttered as the moon called me, clouding my mind. What was wrongwith me? First, I had actually offered her my neck—a sign ofsubmission among weres. It was a sign I had never given to anotherliving creature my whole life and I offered it to avamp. Then, when she had refused my neck and taken blood from mywrist instead, I had gotten a fucking hard-on fromit.
I looked down atmy jeans, which were still tented, the ridge of my shaft showingthrough the denim. My cock was so hard it ached and all fromletting that little vamp sink her fangs into me—what the hellwas that all about?
It’s notfair, muttered a voice in myhead. She’s fucking gorgeous andshe’s got that scent too. How am I supposed to live with that forthree months?
By not laying ahand on her, that was how. She was a vamp and I was a were—we wouldkeep our distance. And anyway, it wasn’t like Taylorwanted me anywhere near her.
I remembered the proud, hurt,defiant look in her big blue eyes when she’d told me someone hadbroken every bone in her body and she’d still managed to heal. Whatkind of sick bastard would do something like that to someone asbeautiful and delicate as her? Whoever it was, they had really donea number on her. I flashed on her reaction when I’d gotten tooclose while she was trying to feed from me. She’d flinched away andthe fear in her face was so raw it made my gut ache.
She must havebeen hurt—fucking horribly abused. I didn’t want to think how, exactly. I remembered Roderick,the ancient vamp Corbin had asked me to stand down right afterTaylor and I were bonded. He’d wanted her back, badly enough tochallenge the blood-bond between us—something unheard of in eithervamp or were circles as far as I knew. What did he do to her? What did that sick fuckerdo?
Just wondering that was enough tomake a low growl rise in my throat. I knew Roderick was deadnow—Corbin had killed him using some kind of dark witchcraft Ididn’t understand and didn’t want anything to do with. But part ofme wished he was still around so I could rip his throat out. If hehad been the one to put the fear in Taylor’s eyes, he deserved tohave his guts carved out and served to him for supper.
Just listen toyourself, the little voicescoffed. Getting all fuckingprotective and possessive of a vamp. Get over it and let the Changetake you…let it take you before it’s too late.
I felt the brand on my lower backburning again and knew the voice was right. I couldn’t delay anylonger. If I did, I risked bringing down the curse. It hadn’thappened to me in months, not since I’d moved to Tampa, but thatwas no guarantee of anything. It was one thing to get stuck in myanimal form—that didn’t bother me except for missed work. Since Iowned my own company, it was more of an inconvenience than anythingelse. But if I got trapped in my other form, the one the curse mademe take…
I shivered all over and beganshedding my clothes. Far off to my left in the dense woods I couldhear the long, liquid cry of another of my kind. The local packsometimes ran on the land abutting mine—something I wished I wouldhave known before buying. But so far, except for a few briefmeetings on full moon nights and one or two overly friendlygestures by some of the single females of the pack, they left mealone and I left them alone. That was exactly the way I liked it—asa lone wolf, I had no interest in joining them.
Not that they would have me ifthey knew about the curse.
The brand burned again, aching,throbbing. It was invisible except on a full moon night or when thecurse was about to become active. Then it glowed, outlined in adull reddish light like someone had tattooed me with fire. In fact,that was sort of what had happened. It was glowing now as Istripped off my shirt. I was glad I had privacy as I undressed.
At last I stood naked in thewoods, feeling the moonlight caress my skin. People talk about the“man in the moon” but we weres know the moon is female—a great,round goddess riding the night sky, always calling to those thatcan hear her. Sometimes her call is soft, sometimes, like tonightwhen she’s full, it’s almost deafening.
The call was strong thisevening—riding me, urging me onward. Thinking past it was almostimpossible. Still, I made a conscious decision to stay far from thehouse tonight. If I did get stuck in my animal form—which happenedoften—I wanted to have plenty of distance between myself andTaylor. She reminded me of a wounded creature—a bird with a brokenwing. Easy prey for my wolf if I let myself get too close,especially when the animal inside me would see her as anenemy—something to be hurt and destroyed.
Come,whispered the silver voice of themoon. Come…run…hunt…befree…
Putting both the little vampireand the local pack out of my mind, I closed my eyes and answeredthe call. I felt my body shift and change, the joints bending indifferent, inhuman directions, my skin flowing with fur. My wolfwas coming forward and I let him, reached for him and his mindlessinstinct eagerly with all that was in me.
My senses were suddenly sharper,the moonlight was brighter, the woods were filled with smells andsounds. Small creatures scratched in the underbrush. Owls floatedalmost noiselessly from branch to branch. Far off in the distance Ithought I heard a panther scream.
Again there was a long,
